


When We Didn't Need to Lie

by Izzielizzie



Category: One of Us Is Lying - Karen M. McManus
Genre: AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-07
Updated: 2021-01-08
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:14:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27939534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Izzielizzie/pseuds/Izzielizzie
Summary: When Cooper Clay, Nate Macauley, Addy Prentiss, and Bronwyn Rojas arrived at detention, they didn't expect to spend their hour with their ex-best friends, and they definitely did not expect to be investigated for murder when they peer dies in detention with them. Soon, all four of them are caught in a whirlwind of lies and secrets and a shared history they'd rather not acknowledge.
Relationships: Bronwyn Rojas/Nate Macauley, Cooper Clay/Kris, Maeve Rojas/Luis Santos
Comments: 5
Kudos: 13





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a One Of Us is Lying AU where the Bayview Four + Maeve and Luis have a shared history. Enjoy! I'll probably change the title of the work at some point, but I'm not sure what it will be yet.

# Bronwyn

“ _Bronwyn_ you _can’t_ have detention! Mathlete practice is today, _remember_?” I try no to roll my eyes at Yumiko’s over use of italics as she stands at my locker, staring at me like she’s never seen me before. 

“You’re absolutely right, let me go change the date,” I say dryly. I can feel a headache coming on and I can’t deal with my friends right now. 

Kate shakes her head. “I can’t believe you were dumb enough to bring your phone to Mr. Avery’s class.”

“But I didn’t! Someone planted a phone in my bag,” I protest. It’s true. I have absolutely no idea whose phone my science teacher pulled out of my bag this morning, but it sure wasn’t mine. I’m not stupid enough to bring a phone to _that_ class. To prove my point, I pull my own melon-striped phone out of my locker. Yumiko brightens. 

“That’s great! Tell Mr. Avery you were tricked and then come to Epoch Coffee with us. I’ll stay in my car for ten minutes so you can explain to old Mr. Grumpy and then come with me and talk about differential equations with your future boyfriend.”

“Okay, sounds like a plan,” I say, slamming my locker shut. Kate looks like she doesn’t agree with thi, but Yumiko drags her down the corridor and out the front entrance. I’d give anything to be going with them. With a sigh, I turn and head towards the stairs. I push through the double doors and into the stairwell. I almost lose my balance when I hear a voice I know _very_ well call my name. I turn around and am face to face with my little sister. “Maeve. Hey.”

Maeve raises an eyebrow. She didn’t call me to do pleasantries, but a couple of her friends are with her, so responds with a muted “hey.” She’s in her green soccer uniform, her gym bag slung over one shoulder. Her dark hair is gathered up in a bun. That’s how I usually see my sister: geared up for a soccer game. Only this time, there’s a partially deflated basketball under her arm. She sees me looking at it and smiles sheepishly. “Coach asked us to bring it to the basketball coach. It was in our van,” she says, looking at my left ear. She does that a lot: look _near_ me, but not _at_ me. She hands the ball to one of her friends. I think her name is Kendra. “Can you bring this down? I just need to talk to my sister.” Her friend responds in the affirmative and Maeve smiles at her. Not one of the tight, watered down smiles she gives me and my parents, but a real _true_ smile that makes her look young again. Her amber eyes brighten and my chest aches as I remember the girl my sister used to be. She turns to me when her friends are gone.

“What’s up?” I ask.

“Kate told me you have detention?”

“Yeah, I do.”

Maeve snorts and tugs at the pyrite necklace our grandmother gave her. “Cool. Have fun I guess. Don’t take the car. I need it after my scrimmage.” 

I bristle at the finality in her tone. It’s _our_ car, not hers, but I don’t need an argument with my sister on top of all the other things on my plate right now. 

“Fine. See you at dinner,” I say.

Maeve’s eyes sparkle and for a moment I think she’s gonna tell me a joke like she used to. “Don’t bet on it,” she says instead, bounding down the steps to the basement. That wasn’t a bad interaction, I guess, considering that my sister and I haven’t had a real conversation in five years.

I’m about to walk into Mr. Avery’s room when Simon Kelleher, creator of our school’s most notorious gossip app called About That barrels past me into the room. Normally, I’d say something, but I don’t want to get on his bad side. I walk into the room after him, and nearly walk right out when I see my three ex-friends sitting at desks. They all look unhappy, and they’re all staring at me.

“Miss. Rojas, good, we’re all here.” I jump as Mr. Avery practically materializes behind me. He pauses to look at me. “Are you going to sit Miss Rojas?”

“I, well, actually.”

Mr. Avery stares at me as I stutter like a crazy person. “You _what_ Miss Rojas?” I can see Nate Macauley smirking at me over Avery’s shoulder and it’s taking all my willpower not to snap at him. He is definitely here for detention, which I doubt he’s left since fifth grade. Which is also the last time we spoke. 

“That phone you found in my bag wasn’t mine,” I manage to say. Addy Prentiss and her shampoo ad hair turns to me so fast I’m afraid she’ll get whiplash. Her blue eyes are wide.

“You too? That phone wasn’t mine!”

“Mine either,” Cooper Clay says, his southern drawl startling me. He didn’t have that accent when we were friends. 

“Me too Mr. Avery! Someone punked us.” Simon sits on a desk and looks at Mr. Avery intently. 

“You really want me to believe that all four of you had fake phones in your bag?” Mr. Avery asks us, crossing his arms.

“Five,” Nate corrects, leaning so far back in his chair that I’m scared he’ll fall and crack his head open. 

Cooper laughs. “ _You_ are wrongly in detention?” 

Nate glowers at him. “Yes. I am. That phone wasn’t mine.”

Mr. Avery drops the pile of yellow legal notebooks he was holding on his desk, startling us all. “Well, looks like the five of you can bond over the illegitimacy of this detention while you write your essays on how technology is ruining American schools.”

“But-”

“No arguments Bronwyn.”

I sigh again and sit at a desk next to Cooper Clay. Out of all of the people in the room, I feel most comfortable next to him. Something tells me I won’t be able to make it to the mathlete meeting. I hope Yumiko got the memo that I’m not coming and has already left. I pull a pen out of my bag and stare at my notebook. Does Mr. Avery _really_ think that technology is ruining schools? Probably. I’m about to accept my fate and start writing this essay when Simon starts rummaging around in his bag from his seat in front of me. I look up at him right as he drops his bag to the floor with an exaggerated “dammit”.

“No talking,” Mr. Avery says without looking up from the book he’s reading at his desk.

“But I can’t find my water bottle. And I’m thirsty.”

“Then get a cup of water, _quietly_.”

Simon does as he’s told, and he’s pouring water into a cup as the sound of metal crunching against metal drifts through the window. I jump, and Cooper flinches so hard he sends his pen flying. We all turn to the window. Nate, who’s the closest, turns to look at us with his eyebrows raised. “There’s a crash,” he informs us calmly, like we’re talking about the weather. Mr. Avery sighs. 

“I better see if they’re alright.” He pauses and glares at each of us in turn. “Do not go anywhere.”

We all watch as he leaves. “Like we have anywhere better to be,” Simon says, laughing a little. 

“Speak for yourself,” Cooper grumbles. “I’m missing _baseball practice_.”

“I’m supposed to be setting up for Vanessa’s party,” Addy says, pulling her hair up in a bun and then letting it fall down into perfect waves. That seems like bragging to my limp curls. I subconsciously adjust my ponytail. Addy catches sight of the gesture and smirks. “Your sister’s going to the party tonight, right?”

I shrug. She is, but I’m not playing into whatever Addy’s trying to get out of me. “I don’t keep tabs on my sister’s social life.”

Simon snorts. “No one can. She’s at every party I go to.”

I stiffen. Simon had some pretty awful posts about my sister a few years ago, and I’m worried about what he has on her now. 

“Being captain of a sports team will do that to you,” Cooper agrees, nodding wisely. Nate catches my gaze and rolls his deep blue eyes. I smile a little at him, and he looks away.

“Speaking of parties, what are you going to do between now and prom Addy?” Simon asks Addy. Addy steps away from his admittedly intense gaze.

“What are you talking about?”

Simon launches into a rant about how Nate, Cooper, Addy, and I are walking teen stereotypes (criminal, jock, princess, and nerd respectively) that I cut off. “What about you Simon?” I ask. 

“Omniscient narrator Bronwyn.”

“There’s no such thing.”

“But there is, in life.” I roll my eyes as he downs his water in one gulp. “This tastes like crap.”

I ignore him and go back to my desk, but I turn again when Simon collapses on the ground. We all wait, thinking that he’s teasing us, until he starts choking. I drop the ground next to him, my knees hitting the ground painfully, and shake his shoulder. Nate’s right next to me. 

“He’s having an allergic reaction,” I say as Simon turns blue and claws at his throat. Addy and Cooper hover over us as Nate searches Simon’s belongings to find an EpiPen. I’m impressed Nate knows what that is, but I can’t pay attention to the three of them, because I’m too busy counting Simon’s pulse. I glance between Simon and my watch’s timer as Addy wraps her arms around herself. “Call the police!” I bark at her. I turn back to Simon. I can hear Cooper leaving, but I’m starting to panic now because Simon’s pulse is slowing. I don’t stop counting until the EMTs push me out of the way a few minutes later. I turn to look at Nate once Simon’s been loaded on a stretcher. He looks as scared as I feel. Our eyes meet. “He’s not breathing,” I whisper.


	2. Chapter 2

# Luis

“Is a party really in good taste?” Cooper mumbles to me as I park my car. It’s still weird being around Cooper after not seeing him for three years, but I’m going to be his catcher for this year’s baseball season, and we might as well get to know each other better. 

I shrug my shoulders. “I don’t know what to tell you man. There’s nothing we can do for Simon.”  
Simon is still in the hospital, and no one has told us what his condition is. There was a whisper of peanut oil and choking going around the football team this afternoon, and Cooper filled me in on what happened when I picked him up from his house. 

“I guess,” Cooper says. His head is against the passenger side window, and he looks nearly asleep. I pause. Maybe I shouldn’t drag him out. 

“If you aren’t feeling well, though, we can go somewhere else.”

Cooper sits up and unbuckles. “No, no, I told Keely I’d be here.”

We climb out of my car in silence, and push through the front door of Vanessa’s large house. I’ve been here a million and one times since freshman year, but the tall windows, high ceilings, and elegant furniture never ceases to amaze me. The minute we step into the living room, Vanessa, Jake Riordan, and Addy Prentiss descend onto up. Well, Vanessa does. Jake and Addy trail her hesitantly. When she reaches us, Vanessea latches onto Cooper like she’s hugging a long lost relative. 

“Oh Cooper,” she coos, “Addy just told us what happened. It must have been _terrible_.” I catch Jake’s eye and look away before we can start laughing at the dazed look on Cooper’s face. 

“Uh, yeah, it-”

“Addy was telling us how _desperate_ Simon looked.”

I look at Addy. Her nose is red and her eyes look bloodshot. I feel a pang of sympathy for her. In any other circumstance, I’d ask if she’s okay, but she’s wrapped up in Jake’s arms and there’s no point in talking to her when Jake’s around. 

“Yeah,” Cooper agrees. Vanessa opens her mouth to say something else, but someone behind us catches her attention.

“TJ!” Vanessa waves TJ Forrester over, and out of the corner of my eye, I see Addy stiffen. 

“Hey Vanessa,” TJ says, standing between Cooper and I. TJ is captain of the soccer team, and sometimes he hangs out with us. I know him a little, since we have some classes together, but he has his own friends and I’m surprised that he’s here. 

“TJ! I’m so glad you’re here!”

TJ looks baffled. “Um, Vanessa, you invited me.”

Vanessa waves her hand in the air like she’s dismissing his comment. She unlatches herself from Cooper. “I actually had a question for you TJ.”

TJ raises an eyebrow, but nods goodnaturedly. “Shoot.”

“If I was interested in joining the soccer team this year, how would I go about doing that?”

Cooper and I exchange a knowing glance. Vanessa always has a motive for talking to people outside of our group, and we just figured it out. “I didn’t know you were interested in playing soccer Vanessa,” Addy says, her eyebrows are knotted together. Vanessa shrugs breezily.

“I’m looking for a change,” she says simply, like this is the most obvious thing in the world. 

TJ scratches the back of his head. “I guess you’d have to talk to the girl’s captain. Lucky for you, she’s right over there.” He tilts his head so his chin is pointing across the room, and we follow his gaze to a group of girls huddled together, whispering and laughing. In the middle of their circle is a girl I could recognize anywhere: Maeve Rojas. Vanessa calls her name, and Maeve looks up, a mask of confusion on her face. She sees Vanessa flapping her hand with more flair than necessary, and says something to her friends before weaving through the crowd to our small group. 

“Hey Vanessa,” Maeve says, stopping to stand between Cooper and Addy. Maeve looks cute tonight in a pair of white denim shorts and a black floral top. It’s different from her usual hoodies and sweatpants, but her black headband is in her hair, like it always is. 

“Maeve, you look so cute!” Vanessa says. I stare at her. I have never heard Vanessa give anyone a compliment. 

“Thanks Vanessa,” Maeve says. She seems to notice that she’s standing across from TJ because she blanches and instantly starts fiddling with the shimmery necklace at her throat. TJ and Maeve had been dating for a whole year and were the star couple: captains of their respective soccer teams, good looking, kind, and totally in love. Until they dramatically broke up last month. They had a giant argument that had been the talk of the school simply because no one knew why they were fighting. 

“Hey Maeve,” TJ says awkwardly. 

“Hi,” says Maeve darkly. 

“How are you?”

“Fine.”

“Great. I’m gonna, go… get a drink.” I’ve never seen TJ this uncomfortable, or Maeve this angry. It makes me wonder for the millionth time what actually happened between the two of them. 

“Also fine.” Maeve glares at TJ’s retreating back, her arms crossed. When TJ’s out of sight, she turns back to Vanessa. "What’s up?”

Vanessa shakes herself a little. I can practically _see_ the gears working in her head as she tries to figure out this drama. “I was wondering how I could join the soccer team this year.” 

Maeve stares at Vanessa for a moment, and I don’t blame her. Vanessa’s only form of exercise is hunting down drama, and it’s not really exercise since it’s attracted to her. “Well, we have a full roster this season.”

“Right, but is there any chance?” Vanessa is looking at Maeve meaningfully, and I wonder briefly if there's something going on between them. Now that I think about it, I’ve never seen Maeve at once of Vanessa’s parties. 

Maeve bites her bottom lip nervously, pulls the headband out of her hair, shakes her long, dark hair out of her face, and then slips the band back on. “We’d have to bench someone if I put you on the team.” We’re all staring at Maeve, and she seems to crack. Her shoulders slump. “I’ll talk to Coach for you Vanessa, but I’m not promising anything.”

Vanessa squeals and hugs Maeve. “You’re the best Maeve!”

“Thanks,” she says dryly. 

Three hours into the party, it’s still going strong. Unfortunately. I’m not the biggest fan of parties. They’re loud and exhausting but I go to them anyway. Why? I’m not quite sure.

This party is going to be different though, I can tell, since Vanessa is now on top of her dining table with an empty beer bottle, chanting “spin the bottle!” over and over again.

“Ugh, what are we, five?” TJ mutters to me. We’re both sitting on the floor of Vanessa’s kitchen, watching the hubbub around us. I shrug as I watch all the other absurdly drunk girls join the chant and before I know it, they’re making a circle and beckoning all the stragglers over. 

“This is so dumb,” Cooper says as we reach him and Keely.

“You’re not single, you don’t have to participate,” I say. Vanessa is waving over people who she knows aren’t in a relationship. I catch sight of her waving TJ and I over and I sigh. Keely laughs and pushes us towards the circle, and I find myself sitting with the rest of the weirdos. Vanessa looks around the circle, sees me, and grins.

“You start mister catcher,” she says, tossing a bottle at me. I catch it and try not to sigh again. People start chanting my name and, well, I guess I’m doing this. I place the bottle on the ground, spin it, and wait for it to slow. It stops and finally points at someone. I look up, see who it is, and my only coherent thought is _dammit_.

Maeve Rojas. Just my freaking luck. Of course the stupid bottle would land on the one girl I wanted to avoid. And of course stupid Vanessa would choose this party of all parties to turn us into overeager middle schoolers again. I could sit here and keep cursing the world, but Maeve is standing now and she’s looking at me with a look I can’t decipher. I can feel TJ pushing me, and I stand too, looking down into the amber eyes I’ve loved since childhood. They’re hollow now, and I wonder if these parties sap out Maeve’s energy the way they do mine. 

I should just kiss her and get this over with. But I can’t. I’m too busy remembering the time she practically glowed with joy when my mother let her hold my baby brother in her arms. And I’m thinking about the time she nearly fell off her kitchen counter because she was laughing so hard she could barely breathe. Where did that girl go? How did the light of my life become this hollow, empty, freckle-faced person in front of me? I want to ask her if she’s okay, but before I can react, she’s standing on her toes and pressing a featherlight kiss on the corner of my lips. And then she’s gone: disappeared in the crowd of too-loud soccer girls.


	3. Chapter 3

# Nate

“How are you Nate?” My counselor asks me as I sit in front of his desk after school. I was called to his office to “talk about my week” which is a shit excuse since it’s only Tuesday. I thought he wanted to lecture me on my attendance or my grades or some other crap he knows I don’t care about, but the look of actual concern on his face is telling me this isn’t that type of meeting.

“I’m okay,” I say cautiously. You can never tell what these people really want.

“Good, good. Yesterday must have been traumatic for you, huh?”

And there’s the ulterior motive. Simon. “Yeah, I guess so,” I say, crossing my arms. 

“You were one of the last people to see him alive.” A statement, not a question.

“Yeah, I was.” I can feel myself shutting down and putting up walls. This is starting to feel less like a conversation and more like an interrogation. 

“Interesting, considering your history.”

“My history?”

“You know, being in the wrong place at the wrong time.” Damn. That was my excuse the first time the police found me at a drug transaction. I didn’t know Mr. I-already-forgot-his-name knew about that. I’m thrown off guard, but I don’t show it. I laugh a humorless laugh and cross my arms, settling in my chair.

“I guess so.”

My counselor searches my face for a beat before nodding. “You seem okay. I think this concludes our meeting, Mr. Macauley.”

I stand, thankful to end this strange meeting. “Thanks,” I say, walking past his desk to push open the door and make my way into the hallway. It’s nearly four in the afternoon, and I don’t know what to do with myself. I might as well just go home. I’m about to leave the building when I hear someone sniffling. I should keep walking. Some crying girl isn’t my problem, but I recognize the person sitting at the base of the stairwell. “Bronwyn?” I ask, walking towards the girl. Maybe she’s upset about yesterday? I mean, she did watch someone die. She seemed okay when I drove her home last night, but maybe she’s not. The girl stops sniffling and twists her torso to look at me. Huh. Okay, it’s not Bronwyn. It’s someone much worse.

“Nathaniel?” I cringe at my full name. But Maeve Rojas moved away before I insisted people call me Nate. 

“It’s Nate,” I say. Maeve snorts and pushes her gym bag off the stairs next to her. I suppose that means I’m supposed to sit next to her. I don’t though. I lean against the banister and look down into her freckled face. It’s tearstained, and her amber eyes are dull. I haven’t seen Maeve since she was nine, and she looks a lot healthier now. I wonder briefly if she still has cancer. But I can’t figure out how to ask that without sounding like a fucking idiot, so I don’t. 

“What do you want?” she asks me.

“You were crying,” I say.

“And?”

“I just wanted to make sure you’re okay.”

She stares at me, and for some reason, she cracks up. Like, full out laughing so hard she’s crying again. She doubles over and wraps her arms around her small body. Nate Macauley. Comedic genius. “Jesus, Nate, since when do you care?”

I don’t know how to answer her, so I don’t. I look at her for a moment before turning on my heel and stalking away. I push through the doors of the school and make a beeline for the parking lot, where my bike is parked. I have the urge to kick it, but it’s old and the only thing I own that isn’t broken, so I refrain. I’m about to climb onto my bike and stress drive around greater San Diego when someone calls my name. I turn, and it’s Bronwyn. Jesus. Just what I need: _another_ Rojas.

“Yes?” I ask when Bronwyn approaches me. She’s wearing jeans for once, and it’s a little off-putting. She always wears dresses. 

Bronwyn stares at me for a moment, unsure. “I was just wondering if you wanted to hang out.”

“What?” Now I’m the one who’s unsure. In the past five minutes, every single thing I’d known about the Rojas sisters to be true is apparently not true. Bronwyn Rojas doesn’t want to hang out with a person like me. Her family made that clear five years ago when they slammed their front door in my face.

“Hang out? I could use a distraction.” I’m pretty sure my definition of a distraction is a lot more destructive than Bronwyn’s, but she looks desperate.

“Um, okay?”

“Great.” She stands there, staring at me, the sun illuminating coppery streaks in her dark hair. I stare back at her, and suddenly we’re cracking up. “This is so awkward,” she says, wrapping her arms around her body the same way Maeve did. It’s crazy how similar they are.

“It is,” I agree. I’m leaning back against my motorcycle. I straighten and offer her my helmet. “How do you feel about pizza?”

I’m laughing so hard the waitress is eyeing me weirdly. Halfway through an olive and pepper pizza, Bronwyn and I have fallen into a giddy, half drunk state that I haven't been in since I was a kid. There’s something about Bronwyn’s sense of humor that makes her endearing. Back when we went to the same elementary school, we were best friends, and I passed most of my time listening to her laugh. We’ve overlooked the awkwardness of our situation and relationship (or lack thereof) for just today, and I’ve got to say, it’s a little surprising that I can still feel so comfortable with her. 

“Nate, do you remember that day in gym class? When we played baseball?” Bronwyn’s glasses are tilted on her nose, and there’s a bit of crust in her hand that she seems to have forgotten about. She’s at ease in her chair, her legs crossed. She’s tied her hair up in a bun, and she looks beautiful. She always does, obviously, but now she’s just on another level. Maybe because I haven’t been this close to her in… forever. 

“Fifth grade right?” I ask this like it’s a passing time I hardly remember and not one of my favorite memories, the one I pull out of the box in my mind that holds the things that give me comfort. 

Bronwyn grins at me like she’s a teacher and I’m a student who finally understands the purpose of multiplication. “Yeah!” Her smile drops. “I think that was the last time we were all… you know.”  
I know. It was the last time we were friends. And by we, I don’t mean just me, and Bronwyn, and Maeve, but Cooper Clay, Addy Prentiss, and Luis Santos too. The memory hits me, all of a sudden, of that day:

We were in gym class, four out of five of us. Maeve hadn’t been in school for years at this point, but she knew about all the goings on in that private school. Cathlic school was not my favorite, but my friends made it better. We were playing baseball, and much to Cooper’s chagrin, Jake Riordan was pitching. He only went to our school for a year, but Jake was the bane of Cooper’s existence. I have no idea why they’re best friends now. I was playing first base, which still baffles me. I hate baseball, and I suck at it. Luis was catching, which was definitely not a surprise. Bronwyn was up to bat, and one of the obnoxious boys on my team told Jake to strike her out. Normally, something like this would have made Bronwyn burst into tears, but for some reason, Bronwyn just smiled a slow smile that I’d come to learn meant danger. I could feel a swell of pride in my chest before Bronwyn had even done anything. I caught Cooper’s eye on third base, and we grinned at each other. We watched as Bronwyn swung, and made contact with the ball. Bron never had good aim, but the ball sped towards the boy (I think his name was Sean), and hit him straight in the face. Bronwyn might not have been a good baseball player, but she sure was a good actress. Her apologetic shock was so convincing that Sean had been sent to the nurse by the gym teacher and Bronwyn had been warned to keep her hits soft.

We had spent the rest of the day in suppressed joy, grinning at each other from across classrooms and laughing loudly, but not loud enough to draw attention, when we regrouped at lunch to tell the story to Addy, who had art class when we had gym. 

“We need to tell Maeve,” Addy had said as she wiped tears from her eyes.

“For sure,” Cooper had agreed.

Three hours later, we piled into Maeve’s hospital room, claiming our usual seats: Addy in the armchair, Bronwyn at the foot of the bed, Cooper on the spindly chair, and me on the window seat. Luis got the coveted privilege of crawling onto the bed next to Maeve, a spot we rotated between the five of us. We grinned at each other as Maeve laughed herself sick. Laughter was the best medicine, Mrs. Rojas had told us once when Maeve was really sick, and we’d taken that to heart, making Maeve laugh so hard and so frequently that she would start coughing until a nurse came running in.

I’m brought back to myself, and see Bronwyn grinning at me again. “I miss that,” she says quietly, like she isn’t sure she’s allowed to say that.

“I do too.” I pause. “Thanks for offering to hang out.”

“You’re welcome Nate.”


	4. Chapter 4

# Cooper

“Vanessa’s bringing _who_?” When I arrive at the beach, Keely and Olivia are peering over Keely’s phone. Luis is standing with his chin propped on Olivia’s head, looking immensely bored with his hands stuffed in the pockets of his sweatpants. Somehow in the past few days Olivia and Luis got back together. I was secretly hoping, after Maeve kissed Luis at Vanessa’s party, that they’d start dating. Even though I’d never say it out loud, Maeve and Luis were great friends when they were kids, and everyone kind of expected them to fall into each other at some point, I guess. 

“What?” I ask. Keely looks up, sees me, and stands on her toes to kiss my cheek. I give her a tight smile and let her slip her hand into mine. Olivia squints up at me.

“Vanessa’s bringing Maeve Rojas and a friend apparently.”

“Maeve hates the beach,” I say automatically. At least, nine year old Maeve did.

Olivia and Keely stare at me. Luis doesn’t mostly because he’s too busy trying to keep his balance and his chin on Olivia’s constantly moving head. “Okay, good to know.” Keely shakes her dark hair like she’s dismissing my comment. She looks over my shoulder and perks up. “Look, they’re here!” I look in the direction she’s looking. Venessa’s marching over with two people trailing after her. I recognize Maeve with her hands stuffed in her pockets and her waist length black hair braided and swung over her shoulder. The other person, a boy, steps into the light of the sinking sun and when I see who he is, I feel like I've been punched in the stomach. I stumble backwards and Keely grabs my arm to steady me. “Are you okay babe?”

“Fine,” I mumble. The guy sees me and nods. Okay Kris. I can play suave and nonchalant too. “Hey Vanessa.” I cringe at the squeakiness of my voice. So much for suave.

“Hey Cooper.” Vanessa tosses her brown curls over her shoulder and embraces the girls. I look over to see Kris narrowing his eyes at my hand in Keely’s and I let go like her hand is on fire. She doesn’t notice because she’s too busy fawning over Vanessa’s new earrings or some other thing no one should care about nearly as much as Vanessa, Keely, and Olivia do. 

“Hey,” Kris whispers to me in a low voice when he and Maeve approach us. 

“Hey,” I say back, reveling in his closeness. Remembering my manners, I turn to Maeve. “Hey Maeve.”

Maeve tucks her chin into the collar of the fleece sweater. “Hi.” Her voice is muffled. She looks small tonight. I mean she’s always been small, but there’s something ethereal about her tonight, with wisps of her hair floating around her face and her amber eyes reflecting the sinking sun. Those eyes are narrowed now, and she’s staring over our heads. Kris and I turn, and I can feel his hand brush against mine. My hand tingles while we watch Jake, Addy, and TJ trek across the sand. Addy looks freezing in a thin sweater and jeans. And is she wearing _sandals_? Maeve snorts.

“What in the name of sanity is that girl wearing?”

“Clothes?” Kris supplies. Maeve gives him a death glare. She looks exactly like Bronwyn when she does that, and it’s a little scary.

I watch Kris and Maeve with growing interest. Maeve had been the one who introduced us at a baseball game, in her bitter, angry way. Back when I first met Kris, I was too invested in his good looks and the fact that he seemed just as interested in me as I was in him that I never bothered to figure out how a high school sophomore and a college freshman met. 

Kris wraps an arm around Maeve in a half hug that she sinks into as I ask: “so, when did you two meet?” 

Maeve gives me a half smile. “Hospital. He was a volunteer when I was younger. He taught me how to play guitar.”

“She hated it,” Kris says with a grin.

“I did not, I still play sometimes.”

“So then you just hated me, huh?” 

Maeve punches Kris’s side, and he staggers over to me in fake pain. I catch him, and somewhere between him falling against me and standing back up to his impressive height, his hand intertwines with mine. My entire arm feels on fire, but in the best way possible. I catch sight of Maeve, who’s looking at our hands with a small satisfied smile. Before I can figure out why she’s smiling, Jake and TJ saunter over to us, Addy in tow, and Kris and I let go of each other. I don’t think we’ve ever established our relationship, but he knows that my friends don’t know about us. 

Jake shakes his head at me in his exasperated way as he claps a hand on my shoulder. “That bonfire is in the wrong place.”

I turn towards the bonfire Luis and the girls started making without me noticing. I don’t see anything wrong about it, but Jake needs things to be his way I guess. 

“Are you going to remake it?” I ask.

“ _Obviously_.” Jake shakes my shoulder, nods at Kris and Maeve, and stalks off, calling to Luis as he goes. Maeve rolls her eyes and shakes her head. 

“What are _you_ doing here?” Addy asks suddenly, looking at Maeve with hatred in her eyes as Vanessa and Luis walk over, presumably to avoid Jake’s wrath. 

“Whoa, Addy, chill, I brought her.” Vanessa’s smirk is telling me that she was hoping for, or maybe expecting, this reaction. It’s weird to see Addy angry at Maeve, when five years ago they sat together making friendship bracelets and singing along to Taylor Swift. 

“And why is that?”

“Well, I’ve got to get to know my team captain right? And I thought she might want to see TJ. The beach is such a great place to see someone, don’t you think?” 

Kris inhales sharply, Maeve’s hands clench at her sides, Addy looks mortified, and TJ is staring down at the sand, his hand tangled in his dark hair. Luis and I look at each other in confusion. There’s clearly something here we’re missing.

Maeve swings her braid over her shoulder. “Don’t worry about me being here Adelaide, I’m leaving.”

“Oh but Maeve-”

“Leave it Vanessa, I have work to do.”

“Want a ride home?” Luis asks suddenly. Maeve stares at him like he’s crazy.

“My god Santos, no I do not.” 

Luis holds up his hands in mock surrender as Maeve stalks off towards the line of cars parked a few feet away. Vanessa smirks after her.

“The hell was that about?” I ask.

Vanessa turns her smirk towards me. “Well, you’ll just have to wait and see.”


	5. Chapter 5

# Addy

“Hey Babe,” Jake says, leaning against my locker. 

“Hey,” I say back, smiling up at him. He’s wearing his football jacket today, and he looks lovely in it. 

His arm wraps around my waist as I slam my locker shut.

“Ready for gym?”

“Ugh, never.” 

Jake grins at me and pulls me close. I sink into him. This is my favorite part of the day. Being with Jake. I only see him during last block, and I always miss how he’s strong and kind and makes me feel seen for once. I let him lead me to the track, but before we can reach the door, a voice floats out from the overhead speakers. _Would Cooper Clay, Nate Macauley, Adelaide Prentiss, and Bronwyn Rojas please report to the main office? Again, Cooper Clay, Nate Macauley, Adelaide Prentiss, and Bronwyn Rojas to the main office_. Jake turns to look at me. “What’s that about?” 

I shrug. “I’ll see you later.” I stand on my toes and give him a quick kiss before turning in the opposite direction. I’m nearly at the office when someone falls in step with me.

“What do you think this is about?” Nate asks me. I shrug again.

“Hopefully nothing.” We reach for the door at the same time, and I step back. Nate pulls the door open for me with an exaggerated bow and I enter the room as I giggle. The giggle stops suddenly though, when I see perfect little Bronwyn Rojas frowning at me from her seat next to Cooper. I slink into the seat across from Cooper as Nate drops next to me.

“‘Sup?” Nate asks, tipping back his chair. Bronwyn gives him an exasperated look.

“You’re going to crack your head open Nate,” Bronwyn snaps.

“Bold of you to assume that’s not my intent,” Nate fires back with a smirk. Bronwyn rolls her eyes. 

“What are we doing here?” Cooper asks suddenly. He looks a little restless. Bronwyn opens her mouth, but before she can answer, the door flies open, and about an eighth of the girl’s soccer team comes marching in behind their coach. I can see Vanessa smirking at all of us, and behind her is Maeve Rojas. Maeve catches sight of the four of us and tilts her head questioningly, but doesn’t say anything as the coach turns to her.

“Rojas! Stay here and see if you can find Gupta. This is _absurd_.” 

“Sure thing Coach.” The coach leaves with the rest of the girls, and Maeve rolls her eyes at the closed door.

“Hi, Maeve,” Bronwyn says.

“Hey,” Maeve responds.

“What’s going on?”

“Gupta didn’t provide the school van for our soccer game.” Maeve pauses. “Again.” Bronwyn smiles a little. She looks uncomfortable, almost as if she doesn’t know what to say to Maeve, which is weird considering they once practically shared a brain. Before she has to say anything though, the door opens again, nearly hitting Maeve in the face. She steps back as Luis Santos steps in. He looks around at the people in the room and pauses. 

“Um, hi?”

“Hey,” Cooper says.

“What’s happening here?”

“Family reunion,” Maeve says sarcastically, and Luis smiles at her. Maeve glares back. I’ll never understand why Luis keeps treating Maeve nicely when it’s obvious his crush is one sided. Or at least, it’s obvious to everyone but him. As it always has been.

“What?” He asks hesitantly.

“Nothing. Obviously. We’re all waiting for Principal Gupta. She’s MIA.”

“Just like our football van.”

“You guys have a football game?” I ask. Luis nods. Huh. Jake didn’t tell me about that. Usually he tells me when he has a game so I can get a ride home from a friend. 

Maeve ignores me and tilts her head at Luis. “Our soccer van is missing too.” Luis nods slowly, stuffs his hands in the pockets of his sweatpants with a contemplative look and twists so he’s leaning against the wall next to Maeve.

“You going to the captain’s charity event?”

The captain’s charity event. _The_ event of the year after prom. Basically, ten years ago some rich football captain created a fund for the school that benefited the sports teams, as long as a dinner and dance was held for all the captains. Being invited is the greatest honor this school has. I’ve been once, with Jake, in my freshman year as his date. Sophomore year, though, Luis got the title of football captain and he and Olivia took our place. Cooper goes too, with Keely, to represent the boy’s baseball team. And from what I gathered, Maeve and TJ went together last year. Not that they will this year.

“Yeah, but I don’t have a date this year,” says Maeve as she twists her braid over her shoulder and wraps the end around her finger. “Are you?”

“Yeah, I’m dateless too though.” Maybe Luis was expecting something from Maeve. Maybe a simple “we should go together”. Judging from his face, he didn’t expect Maeve to shrug, toss her braid over her shoulder and say:

“Well, that sucks.”

Luis’s shoulders slump right as Principal Gupta walks into the office with a harried look. She pushes open the door, and right before it can hit Maeve, Luis tugs her towards him. She falls against him. I catch sight of Bronwyn and Cooper’s small smiles before Gupta starts talking.   
“Sorry I’m late. Mr. Santos, Ms. Rojas, what are you doing here?”

Luis and Maeve explain their van problem, and Gupta follows them to sort it out. She returns nearly forty minutes later looking exasperated and muttering about sports teams. She looks at us, and drops into a chair at the head of the table.

“I’m sorry to keep you all waiting, but we had some difficulties with our sports teams today.”  
As if she had to tell us that. I zone out as she talks to us about how she understands we’re shaken up about Simon’s death (I’ve heard this enough times before) until I hear Cooper’s saying “With all due respect ma’am,” (Why is he so polite anyway? He only lived in the south for two years) “It sounds like you’re accusing us.”

My head snaps up. “What?”

Everyone turns to look at me. Nate’s smirking at me. “I was just saying that the four of you are well known students, and all four of you have a history with Simon.” I flinch a little.

“So you think we killed him?” I ask.

“We are simply following threads Addy, no need to be defensive.”

“With all due re-” Cooper stops at the smirk on Nate’s face and then continues. “We’re being accused of something ridiculous, I think we have the right to be defensive.”

“There’s no probable cause for investigation, is there?” Bronwyn asks. “It was an accident, and in a court of law, following threads wouldn’t convince a jury.” I roll my eyes. She always sounds older than she is. And like she knows more than everyone. 

Gupta opens her mouth the answer, when the bell rings, singling the end of school.

“Are we free to go?” Nate asks.

“Yes, but-” We don’t let her finish her sentence, because we’re too busy standing up, swinging our bags over our shoulders, and marching out of the room.

Maybe I shouldn’t have agreed to go to Glenn’s diner with Bronwyn, Cooper, and Nate, but I’m filled with pent up anger at Gupta for suggesting something that might mess up our lives that I said yes. Now I’m sitting in a booth next to Cooper picking at my salad. 

“Want some fries?” Cooper asks me. I shake my head even though I do really want some. The faster I get out of here, the better. I’m not really listening to the conversation around me until I hear Nate saying my name.

“What?” I ask.

“Did Simon have anything against you?”

I pause before I shake my head vehemently. I look at the unconvinced faces staring at me. “Nothing. Absolutely nothing against me.”

Bronwyn raises an eyebrow. “What did you do?”

“Nothing!”

“You really want us to believe that?” Nate asks.

“I mean, I might have… hooked up with TJ last summer,” I say, the last words a whisper. I jump when Bronwyn slams her glass down.

“What the HELL, Addy? You hooked up my sister’s boyfriend?”

“I,” I can’t say anything more as the shame I’d pushed down resurfaces. 

“Addy, seriously?” Cooper asks me. 

“I didn’t know,” I say, shrinking away from him.

“That’s bullshit you saw them together at every party we went to.”

“He told me he wasn’t dating anyone.”

“But you had a boyfriend.” Bronwyn’s glaring at me now, her arms crossed. Cooper’s staring at me like he’s never seen me before. Nate’s smirking, like always, and I’m pretty sure that if he wasn’t in the booth, he’d be tilting his chair back. 

“I know, I just-”

“Addy Maeve is miserable.” 

“I’m sorry. If I could take it back I would.”

“But, you can’t, can you?”

“No, I can’t.”

“Addy, do you really think it’s fair to Jake and Maeve?” Cooper asks me.

“No, but-”

“Seriously, Addy, that is the bitchiest thing anyone could do.”

I don’t even know what to say anymore. I’ve ignored my actions for months because I didn’t want to think about what I did and how it might hurt people. And I can’t relive it now, here with people I’ve hurt more than once. 

I shrink into myself as Nate starts talking. “Funny how you left us for a guy you cheated on, Ads.”

That’s it. I can’t. I pull my bag out from under the table and stand through my tears. I push my way through the diner until I step outside and breath in the fresh air. I look down at my phone when it starts ringing. It’s vanessa.

“Hey,” I say, praying to the trees in front of me that Vanessa can’t hear the tears in my voice.  
“Oh my god. Have you heard the news?”

“What news?”

“The Tumblr post? Saying you guys killed Simon?”


	6. Chapter 6

# Maeve

Weekend runs are bliss. Early morning air fills my lungs and all the worries from the week: Vanessa hijacking the soccer team, TJ showing up everywhere I don’t want him to be, and Bronwyn’s murder investigation, evaporate until the only thing filling my mind is the sound of my music and the ponding of my sneakers on the sidewalk. When I reach the steep hill I use as a marker to end my three miles, I feel motivated enough to keep running, and I can hardly breathe when I reach the top. I’m about the double over and catch my breath when I hear my name being called. I sigh when I recognize the voice. It’s Vanessa. I wonder if it’s too late to pretend I didn’t hear her, but I look up and meet her blue eyes and I have no choice but to walk over to her, where she’s sitting with Cooper, Addy, Luis, and - ugh - TJ.

“Maeve! Hi! Fancy seeing you here!”

“Vanessa you do realize I live in Bayview right?” Every time Vanessa sees me she acts like I live in Kentucky or something.

“I know, I know. I just enjoy seeing you! Do you enjoy seeing me?” I look at Vanessa properly and I realize now why she’s called me over. She’s wearing her soccer uniform. And it has my number from last year. 

“Sure,” I say. I’m still out of breath and I have no desire to be nice. 

“Well, I’m so glad I ran into you! Or that you ran into us I guess.” She laughs at her own joke. “I actually wanted your opinion on something. TJ and I are going on a date this weekend and I wanted your advice on where to go.”

I’m distracted trying to figure out if bending over to catch my breath would make me look weak, so when I finally register her question all I can do is stare at her. I look between TJ who’s staring at the ground, and Vanessa, who’s smirking at me. Oh this bitch knows _exactly_ what she’s doing. Vanessa continues talking. “Addy was telling us that the beach is great this time of year.”

No. No, I can’t do this. I’m gonna faint. Or be sick. Or both. 

“Vanessa stop,” Luis says, his voice hard.

“What? I’m just saying, Maeve knows all about beach dates. She could even-”

I don’t hear the rest of her sentence because I’ve turned and started running down the hill again. I can’t see where I’m going through the tears, and I’m so upset that when I feel a pair of hands on my shoulders I panic. I twist and kick out, using the self defence tricks my father taught me ages ago. My foot doesn’t connect with anything though, and it throws me off. “Maeve, Maeve. Stop.” I recognize the voice and I freeze. 

“Luis?”

“I just wanted to make sure you’re okay.”

I can’t see his face through my tears, but his voice is laced with genuine concern and I fall into him, sobbing like my life depends on it. He rubs his hand up and down my back like my mom did when I was a kid, and it’s so relaxing that I can’t even try to imagine how weird we must look: me crying into his chest in the middle of the sidewalk, but I can’t move. I pull away when I’m out of tears, and he gently swipes his thumbs over my cheeks to dry them. “I’m not okay,” I tell him. I know it’s such an obvious thing to say, but as I look into his deep brown eyes that are filled with so much kindness, I feel myself relax for what might be the first time in years. He nods at me.

“I know.”

“TJ cheated,” I say. I don’t know why I’m telling him, but I haven’t had anyone to talk to lately. Luis’s hand is still on my back, and he’s rubbing small circles on it, almost absentmindedly. It’s nice. He raises his eyebrows at me, telling me to keep talking. “He was at the beach over the summer and he hooked up with Addy and Vanessa found out.”

“Dios,” Luis mutters, and I finally realize who I’m talking to. Every time Vanessa subtly attacks me, Luis has been there, and he’s never lifted a finger to stop her. And from what I can tell, he’s suddenly best friends with TJ. I pull away from him. 

“Not that you’d care,” I mutter. 

Luis’s face drops and he squeezes my hand the way he did when we were kids. “Maevey, come on.” _Maevey_. No one has called me that in years.

“You stopped talking to me. You stopped caring about me.”

Luis and I were best friends when we were kids. Like Nate and Bronwyn. Like Cooper and Addy. All six of us were thick as thieves before my parents sent me to Connecticut to live with my grandparents. When I came back, no one was speaking to each other. When did unconditional love turn into pure hatred? When did we start tearing each other down? Why do we rip each other apart and set fire to the corpse just to watch it burn? Why don’t we patch each other together anymore? I have so many questions for all of them: why did Nate stop laughing? Why can’t Bronwyn relax? Why doesn’t Addy speak her mind? Why is Cooper so hesitant, so perfect? And why doesn’t Luis love me anymore? I guess they have some for me too: why am I so bitter? 

I’m scared I don’t have the answer. 

“Maeve,” Luis’s voice jolts me back to myself. “I never stopped caring about you. You left, what was I supposed to do?”

“IT WASN’T MY CHOICE.” I tear out of his grasp. I can’t stand being near him. 

“Maeve, let me drive you home. You’re not thinking straight.” As if. I can’t be in a car with him. 

“No!”

He reaches for me. His hands grip my upper arms and before I can think, I rear back and slap him as hard as I can. “I said no!”

I turn and start running before I can even understand what I just did. 

Nearly ten hours later, I’m in the ballroom of the grand Bayview hotel that my parents rented out for their charity event. For tonight, we’re a normal family. We stand together, my father in his suit, my mother, sister, and I in our ball gowns. My hair is up, twisted in a knot, and the back of my floor length dress is open. I feel cold, exposed and incredibly raw after this morning. And I also feel so, so, so bad about how I treated Luis. I turned my own anger and fear out on him. He just wanted to make sure I was okay. I can’t be here, talking to the mayor and his wife like I give a damn. I tug on my mother’s sleeve. “Mom, I’m gonna get a drink,” I mutter to her. She nods at me. Normally, she’d insist that I stay with the rest of the family, but everyone’s been walking on eggshells around me since TJ and I broke up. Normally, I’d hate being treated like that, but tonight I’m revelling in the newfound independence. 

I make my way to the drink table, but before I can even reach it, a tray with a steaming mug of… something materializes in front of me. “Cinnamon hot chocolate,” Luis says. 

“Wha-”

“It’s still your favorite right?”

Of course it is. Cinnamon hot chocolate has always been my one true love, but I’m not confused about that. “What are you doing here?”

“My father is catering this rather fancy event, and he asked me to help. I could use the money.” How could I forget that his dad owns a cafe? I used to go there all the time. He pauses and shoots me a wicked grin. “And girls love men in a uniform.” He is wearing a uniform: black slacks, white button down shirt, and a black vest. Pretty standard for waiters.

“Girls like men who shut up,” I say as I take the mug from the tray. Luis smiles.

“There you are Rojas. You’re sass failed to make an appearance this morning.”

I look down at the ground and cup my hands around my steaming mug. When I look up, Luis is looking at me with a look I can’t decipher, but it makes me feel as warm and cozy as the drink in my hands. I shift my mug to one hand and reach up to touch his face with another. “That looks painful,” I say. 

“You don’t know your own strength.”

I laugh a little. “I’m sorry for what I did. It was wrong of me.”

“It was,” Luis agrees. I glare at him and he grins. “But I accept your apology.”

I return his grin. “What can I do to make it up to you?”

Luis’s face takes on an exaggeratedly thoughtful look. “You could serve tables seven and eight for me.”

I put my hand on my hip. “I’m being serious here, Santos.”

“As am I Rojas,” he says, mimicking my pose. I start laughing at him, and his grin is bright enough to light up a room. I missed that. I missed us. “We could go to the roof. The utility closet is always unlocked. No one would even miss us.” I’m not surprised that he knows this. Luis was always the best person to concoct an escape route. 

I shift on my uncomfortable heels as I consider his offer and sip my coca. We used to spend ages on the flat part of my garage roof, which was accessible through my window. I’ve missed that too. “Okay,” I finally say.

I follow him through the ballroom and into the hallway, where he disposes of his tray and my mug in the hall in front of the kitchen. “You’re so slow,” he says as I trail behind him to the elevator. 

“My heels are killing me.”

“So take them off.” He says this with an easy shrug and a quick grin, like this is the easiest thing in the world. 

“I’m not walking barefoot,” I say. Luis smiles at me, and before I can understand what is happening, he scoops me up in his arms. “Luis,” I laugh as I link my arms around his neck. I’d tell him to put me down, but I’ve missed this camaraderie with him. 

“Can’t let you hurt your feet, Maevey.”

I rest my head on his shoulder and close my eyes. Luis Santos had always been home to me. For five years I’d been lost without his strong arms and deep brown eyes. I stay in his arms as we push through the doors and step into the twilight. The slanted doors are perfect for laying on, and we stay there for nearly an hour, my head on his shoulder and his arms around me. I wish we could stay here all night, in this world where I never had cancer and was sent to Connecticut because my parents couldn’t deal with the constant pity from everyone. In a world where we were still MaeveandLuis and LuisandMaeve.


	7. Chapter 7

# Bronwyn

“We’re leaving in twenty minutes!” Mom calls up the stairs. We’re going to Simon’s funeral, and even though I feel a little weird going after the school practically accused us of killing him, my parents said I have to go, so I guess I’m going. 

“Okay!” Maeve calls down the stairs as she leaves the bathroom. She’s just taken a shower, and her hair is wrapped in a towel. She catches sight of me and frowns. “What?”

I shake myself a little. I must be giving her a pitying look. I keep trying to figure out if I should tell her about TJ cheating, but I feel like she wouldn’t listen. 

“What do you want Bron?”

“Can I chill with you before we leave?” I find myself blurting out. Maeve stares at me for a few moments, and I’m so ready for her to laugh and tell me to go away that I don’t completely hear her when she says, “Sure. Why not?”

She brushes past me to push open her door and pauses. “Well don’t just stand there like a weirdo, come on.”

I step into Maeve’s room for the first time in what is probably five years. I mean, I guess I am allowed in here, but I make it a point not to come here. Maybe because I was scared that Maeve would change her room and our childhood would be gone. Or maybe I wanted to prove to her that she could trust me. I don’t even know anymore, but I didn’t need to worry about her room changing: the walls are still a pale purple, and her window seat is still white with floral throw pillows and a purple knitted blanket folded underneath the book I’ve seen Maeve reading in the living room when I practice piano. The only difference is her corkboard with pictures pinned up is filled with photos of her and her soccer friends, not me and our childhood friends like it was when we were young. I sit gingerly on her bed, covered in her white duvet with the purple and yellow polkadots. Maeve opens her closet door and roots through until she finds what she wants. She turns with a black jumpsuit pressed against her body.

“Good?” I’m temped to turn around and see if she’s talking to someone behind me, but I’m not that stupid.

“Good,” I agree. I turn and let Maeve change, and I turn back again when she tosses her shorts and t-shirt over my head and into the hamper. She’s at her dresser, in front of her mirror, when I turn back around. The back of her jumpsuit is still partly unzipped, and I stand and walk over to her. She flinches when I fix the zipper, and I’m startled for a moment. Since when did the girl who demanded hugs every five minutes flinch when touched?

“Thanks sis,” Maeve says. There’s a serenity to her that isn’t there usually. She’s humming as she brushes her long hair out. “I’m thinking of cutting my hair. What do you think?” I still want to look around to find the _actual_ recipient of my sister’s kindness, but I don’t. Whatever is happening right now, I don’t want it to end.

“I like it long,” I say truthfully. She looks nice with long hair, and I can still remember how devastated she was when her hair first started to fall when she was little. Once when I was laying in her hospital bed next to her, she had sworn that after all this was over, she would grow her hair out as long as Mom would permit. I had told her I’d do the same, and now, when I step forward to look in the mirror with her, I can’t see the resemblance between us anymore. My eyes, a sharp grey, are behind dark glasses, my tan skin looks yellowish against my black dress, and my shoulder length curls are limp and a little fuzzy. Maeve looks, as usual, amazing. Her straight hair is falling around her like a curtain, and it’s a few shades darker than mine. Her skin is as pale as Mom’s and the splash of freckles across her face are more pronounced than usual, and her eyes, _god_ her eyes are so bright they could illuminate the room. My sister has always been the beautiful one, and I’m glad she’s happy today. But, even though I know I’m going to regret asking this, I need to know: “Maeve, why are you so happy today?”

Maeve smiles a little as she gives her brush one final tug and places it on the dresser. “I hung out with an old friend yesterday. It was nice.”

“Luis Santos,” I say promptly. Maeve hits me with her best side-eye.

“Don’t be so judgy. I saw you with Nathaniel Macauley.” She did? When?

I hold up my hands in surrender. “I’m not judging. Just stating a fact. I saw you with him at the dinner party yesterday.”

“That’s nice,” Maeve says, picking up her chapstick. 

“Are you going to date him?”

“Are you going to date Nate?”

“What? No!” I’m shocked for a moment. “He wasn’t totally in love with me when we were kids. Unlike _someone_.” I bump my hip against hers, and she spins away from me. 

“Yeah, right.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I ask as Maeve pulls her black sneakers out from under her bed. “And don’t wear those.” Maeve glares at me as she puts her sneakers back and crouches down until she finds her party shoes, the black leather ones that are nearly identical to mine.  
“ _It means_ , mi hermana, that Nate was like, totally in love with you.” Maeve redoes the laces on her shoes as I stare at her.

“Don’t be dumb. He was my best friend. That’s all.”

“ _Best friends_ don’t have their first kiss after a soccer game.” I can feel my face turn red as my sister smirks at me. 

“And _best friends_ don’t carry each other to the elevator at fancy hotels,” I fire back. I’m waiting for a reaction, but I don’t get one.

“Luis isn’t my best friend,” Maeve says calmly with a shrug as she unplugs her phone from her charger and sways out of her room.

“Nate isn’t mine either!” I call back. Maeve just laughs as she leads me down the stairs.

Half an hour later, Dad pulls the car into a parking spot outside of the church, and we pass Luis Santos, Cooper Clay, Addy Prentiss, and a bunch of their friends. “Maeve!” Luis calls. Maeve’s glow intensifies until I can hardly look at her. She turns to our parents, a questioning look on her face. 

“Go ahead honey, we’ll save you a seat.” Mom is grinning at Maeve, and I can tell why. Maeve hasn’t been this giddy since she was a kid. Maeve floats away to Luis and his friends, and Luis slips an arm around her. “Not friends” my foot. 

“It’s nice to see they’re friends again,” Dad muses as we pass Luis and his friends. 

“It is,” I agree, smiling at him. I know Dad thought of Luis as a son, and he’s missed him. Dad smiles back and wraps an arm around me as we walk into the church. Mom’s about to pull open the heavy oak doors when a hand reaches around her and pulls it open. 

“After you ma’am,” a familiar voice says, pulling the door open.

“Thank you so much d-” Mom stops short when she is face to face with her worst nightmare in the form of a smirking boy in a leather jacket. 

“Nathaniel,” my father says, disentangling himself from me.

“Hello Mr. Rojas,” Nate says.

“What are you doing here?”

“Oh you know,” Nate says casually, “I was walking by, saw a large crowd, and thought it would be a good opportunity to make some transactions.”

Both my parents stare at Nate as I try not to laugh. They can be a little gullible sometimes. 

“Hey Nate,” Maeve says as she materializes next to us with Luis. His other friends seemed to have disappeared, but they’ve never struck me as people who’d want to go to a funeral.

“Hi, Maeve.” Nate is squinting at Maeve like she’s insane. Understandably. She’s smiling for once. Honestly I forgot she was able to do that. Also, the last time Maeve talked to Nate she yelled at him.

“Hello Mr. and Mrs. Rojas, it’s a pleasure to see you again.” Luis says to my parents, seemingly sensing the tension.

My parents both brighten as they turn to Luis. He shakes my father’s hand firmly and leans down to kiss my mother’s cheek. Nate and I roll our eyes at each other as Maeve glows so brightly she might put the sun out of business. All Luis is missing is a hat to tip. 

“How are you doing son?”

“Well, Mr. Rojas, and you?”

“I’m good.”

Luis smiles and motions towards the door. “Are you going in?”

“We are. Are you _Nathaniel_?” My mother asks.

“What did you do Nate?” Maeve asks, rolling her eyes. She knows my mother’s danger voice as well as I do. 

Mom tells Maeve what Nate said, nearly verbatim, and Maeve doesn’t even try to hide her laughter. “You’re so gullible Mom,” she says breezily, pushing past us to walk through the doors. She turns to us. “Well are you coming? Nate’s coming to the funeral too.”

“I am,” Nate confirms. My parents instantly relax. 

There’s a glint in Maeve’s amber eyes as she delivers her parting shot: “his probation officer made him.”

To say the funeral was tense is an understatement. Nate ended up sitting with Maeve on his one side and me on his other. Maeve shook with silent laughter through the entire service and Nate glared at the wall. I breathe a sigh of relief when we exit the church, but the next problem appears in the form of a man in a crisp suit blocking our path as we try to make our way to the car. 

“Mr. and Mrs. Rojas?” The man asks.

“Yes?” Mom says.

“I am Detective Wheeler with the Bayview Police. Would we be able to take your daughter Bronwyn to the police station to talk about the events of Simon’s death?”

I freeze and Maeve crashes into me. That doesn’t sound good.

“Why?” Mom asks.

“Just a customary check in, we’re doing it with all the students. Just to tie up loose ends.”

That _really_ doesn’t sound good.

“Only if we can come with her,” Dad says.

The detective nods. “Of course. We aren’t holding her. But your younger daughter…” The detective trails off, looking at Maeve suspiciously. 

She smiles a little. “I’ll go wait by the car. I need to tell Luis something anyway.”

“Go ahead honey, we’ll see you soon,” Mom says. Maeve gives a jaunty wave, steps around me, and walks away with a spring in her step. If I had to guess, her forthcoming interaction with Luis wouldn’t involve a lot of talking.

I follow the detective and my parents to the police station down the street, where we’re directed to what seems an awful lot like an interrogation room. The detective starts talking about Simon’s death, and I don’t listen because I’ve heard it too many times, but I zone back into the conversation when Detective Wheeler shows us a tablet with About That, Simon’s old gossip Tumblr, pulled up to a post that makes my heart stop. It’s about all of us at detention. About how Cooper used steroids (unsurprising), Nate sold drugs while being on probation (expected honestly) and how Addy cheated on her boyfriend Jake with a boy named… oh no. TF. TJ Forrester. Maeve’s ex. The one she’s been moping about for months. I’m not surprised, I knew this, but my parents didn’t. I glance at them to see their reaction. My mom’s eyes are trained on Addy’s piece of gossip, but my dad’s are on the next piece. The one I’ve been ignoring because it’s about me. More specifically, about how I cheated in my chemistry class last year. 

All my blood rushes to my head as Detective Wheeler asks “well, Miss Rojas, what do you have to say about yourself?” 

My mother stiffens. “My daughter has no comment. And we aren’t going to talk about this until we have a lawyer present, Detective.”

“Very well,” says Detective Wheeler resignedly. He seems to have expected this. “But let me tell you that your friends are all here, Bronwyn, and one of them will admit to your crime.”

Mom’s pushing me out of the room before I can ask what crime he might be talking about. Surely my “friends” have nothing they can say about my cheating. Mom and Dad don’t say anything as we walk the block back to our car. They look angry though. Mom’s expression softens when she sees Maeve, however. 

“Hey!” Maeve says pleasantly. She’s sitting on the car’s hood, her phone in her hand. She holds up her free hand to block the setting sun from her face. It doesn’t work that well though, since the light streams onto her face, turning her hair coppery, her freckles golden, and her eyes into the most fiery they’ve ever looked. She looks like the picture of the warrior queen on the poster in the library, and I almost expect her to come flying at me with a sword. Which is stupid. Maeve is the least confrontational person I’ve ever met. Subtle jabs are more her style. 

“Hi Maevey,” Mom says. Maeve stares at her. Mom hasn’t called her Maevey in years. 

“What the hell happened at the station?” Maeve whispers to me as we climb into the back seat of the car.

“Let’s just say that this isn’t going to end well,” I whisper back through clenched teeth as Dad glares at me through the rearview mirror. 

“Understatement,” my sister mumbles as she puts her earbuds into her ears, leaving me to face my parents’ wrath alone.


End file.
